Bagging a 14’er (Mount Evans, CO)
I’ve always loved the mountains. When I was a kid I thought they bought me to the top of the world. I still get that same feeling of awe when I stand atop the peaks. The horizon seems to fall away to infinity, your world is opened and a flood of impressions fall in place like a giant jigsaw puzzle. It’s a most humbling experience and also one of the most freeing ones you can have. Out here there are no boundaries and Mother Earth is bare and open for the touch.
Colorado has many of these moments especially in the awe-inspiring Rockie Mountains, the stunning range that runs 3,000 miles from Canada to New Mexico. We took one of these today and bagged a 14’er (that would be a 14,000-footer of a peak) in the process. The coolest thing is that you can do it too…in fact anyone can, even your dog.
Mount Evans is only ~35 miles from Golden and is the highest paved road in the US. Constructed in the 1930’s it rises from 8,700 feet at Idaho Springs to 14,130 feet (4,307 m) at the top parking and it’s a helluva ride. Once you get there, with a bit of panting and sweat you can hike another ~130 or so feet up to a grand total of 14, 264 at the summit. Sure, it’s not as glamorous as cramponing in the Alps, or ice-climbing in the Arctic, but you still get that sense of “ahhh” at the top and the views are truely breathtaking. Should you feel inspired you can then go bag the other 58 or so 14’ers in Colorado…just be prepared to walk a bit for those other ones.
awesome pictures!
Love mountains myself. I get to see a 20,000 ‘er almost everyday (Denali) when I leave my house to drive to Anchorage. In our dinky little town of Chugiak, our exit onto the one highway has a view of Denali that makes you catch your breath almost everyday. Amazing!
New Year’s Day
Alaska is just amazing. We were backpacking there a few years back and I was blown away by the mountains. It’s definitely one of the states we want to go back to and spend some time. Will have to get RV location tips from you when we go!